All Things Good and Great

Navy Seal Thinking

The Tenacity to Try

I was discussing inventors with a buddy of mine yesterday. We settled on Thomas Edison. I think it’s fascinating that so much of what we use today would not have been possible without his work. I wouldn’t be blogging today. And all this came from a school dropout.

I’m convinced anyone can be extremely successful. But I think most people lack the tenacity to try. It’s not an issue of mental capacity or skill. It’s the ability to sit down with your idea and see it to the end. It’s the ability to try something you’ve never tried before – just to see what happens.

There’s no such thing as a jack of all trades. It’s not some special state of being. But there are people who are willing to try new things all the time. And those are the folks that change the world – the folks willing to commit to trying something new.

Remember Thomas Edison was the one that said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” The guy had 2,332 patents worldwide. That’s about 2,331 more than I’ll probably have in my lifetime. The guy tried a bunch of stuff.

And most of his work didn’t make it to the patenting process. Most of his patents weren’t earth shattering. But a few were. And he changed the face of the world.

Imagine where the world would be if we had ten people this year step up and become like Thomas Edison. Imagine the leaps and bounds we’d achieve. Imagine ten people with the tenacity to try new things and change the world with new ideas.

I want to be one of those ten. Now where are my other nine people willing to step up and try?

Jonathan Malm helps people uncover creative options for their life and their church. He’s the author of Created for More, a 30-day devotional to help you develop a more creative mind. You’ll find him in San Antonio, Texas, roasting his own coffee beans and enjoying life with his Argentine wife, Carolina.

Jonathan is a creative entrepreneur and writer. He is the author of Created for More, a 30-day devotional to help you develop a more creative mind. You'll find him in San Antonio, Texas roasting his own coffee beans enjoying life with his wife, Carolina.